Systems and methods for selecting television advertisements for a set-top box requesting an advertisement without knowing what program or channel is being watched

ABSTRACT

A computer system automatically identifies, in response to receipt of first electronic data indicating selected advertisements are desired for a set-top box, certain television programs/channels that permit or desire selected advertisements, and automatically makes available to a device a set of selected television advertisements. The programs/channels are identified using second electronic data. The programs/channels are available for viewing in a time slot during which the first electronic data was received. Each selected advertisement corresponds to an identified television program/channel. The device has access to third electronic data indicating which program/channel is currently being presented via the set-top box, so that a selected television advertisement can be presented via the set-top box while the corresponding program/channel is being presented. The computer system selects and makes available the first set of television advertisements without access to the third electronic data.

BENEFIT CLAIMS TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 61/393,834 filed Oct. 15, 2010, which application is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND

The field of the present invention relates to targeted delivery or presentation of advertisements within television content displayed on a viewing device such as a television (“TV”) using a set-top box (“STB”).

To satisfy various laws, regulations, or policies pertaining to user privacy in an online environment, a primary goal is to maintain segregation of a user's personally identifiable information (“PII”) from that user's online behavioral profile information (e.g., sites visited, content viewed, searches requested, or products purchased). It has also been deemed desirable, from a privacy perspective, to maintain similar segregation between (i) a user's online profile information and (ii) information or data on specific television viewing habits or profiles linked to a specific STB, even though that viewing data may not constitute PII.

Due to privacy reasons, it is desired to avoid reporting which TV programs or channels have been viewed using a specific STB.

Recording or tracking user behavior in one medium in response to presumed behavior in another, and correlating those behaviors, are also desirable goals. Such capability can enable an advertiser to target future ads more accurately, to evaluate the effectiveness of particular ads or ad campaigns, or for other purposes. PII may (or may not) be used to establish an association between devices of differing media.

It is therefore desirable to solve the technical problem of providing systems and methods for selecting and delivering television advertisements (“TV ads”), in some cases including targeted television advertisements, in response to an indication that a set-top box requires advertisements, without knowledge of which television program or television channel is being presented via that set-top box.

It is also desired to generate (or store) STB-originated reports of which selected or default TV ads were delivered within which TV programs or on which TV channels, so as to report to the advertiser the exact number of ads delivered to the target audience through STBs and the amount owed by the advertiser as a consequence, and to report to TV ad space sellers the amount of inventory used in delivering ads and the amount they are owed as a consequence.

In instances when an advertisement is selected without knowledge of which TV program or channel is being presented via the STB, it also may be desirable to provide reporting in the form of aggregate data for multiple set-top boxes indicating how many times a given television advertisement was presented.

It also may be desirable to track and correlate online behavior of, or target online advertisements (i.e., any advertisement transmitted to an online user interface device via the Internet, its successor, or another remotely accessible network) to, a user based on previous presumed delivery of television advertisements to that user's set-top box. It further may be desirable to do so despite the use of dynamic device addresses for the user's online access or television service, or while maintaining segregation of the user's PII, television viewing habits, and online behavioral profile information.

SUMMARY

Aspects of a technical solution disclosed herein can be summarized as follows: Following a STB-originated request to deliver an advertisement, an array of TV ads is selected by a programmed ad server computer system that lacks access to data indicating which TV program or TV channel is being viewed on the requesting STB. The array contains at least one ad corresponding to each possible TV program in the current time slot, where each possible TV program is a TV program for which prearrangements exist for the ad server to deliver TV ads during that program. The array of advertisements is made available to a separate device (either the STB itself or a server that can communicate with it) that knows what program or channel the STB is displaying.

Afterwards, if desired, viewing of one or more of the selected TV ads can be presumed and an action can be taken with respect to an online user interface device (such as a computer, game machine, or mobile phone) associated with the STB, which action is either (i) causing delivery to the user interface device an advertisement targeted based on the presumed viewing of the TV ads, or (ii) identifying a correlation between the presumed viewing of the TV ads and subsequent online behavior that is conducted using the online user interface device and that is or has been recorded or tracked.

A method comprises using a programmed hardware computer system to identify certain television programs or television channels that permit or desire selected advertisements, and to automatically make available to a device a first set of selected television advertisements. The television programs or channels are identified automatically in response to receipt of first electronic data indicating selected advertisements are desired for a first set-top box, using second electronic data that identify the television programs or television channels. The television programs or television channels are available for viewing in a time slot during which the first electronic data was received. The first set contains a plurality of television advertisements, each advertisement corresponding to one of the identified television programs or television channels. The device has access to third electronic data indicating which of the television programs or television channels is currently being presented via the first set-top box, so that at least one of the selected television advertisements can be presented via the first set-top box while the corresponding television program or television channel is being presented. The computer system selects and makes available the first set of television advertisements without access to the third electronic data.

The device can comprise (i) the first set-top box, (ii) a server controlled by a provider of television content to the first set-top box, or (iii) a server that receives the third electronic data from a provider of content to the first set-top box and in response causes at least one of the selected advertisements to be presented via the first set-top box.

The method can further comprise automatically causing, based on electronic indicia identifying the selected television advertisements, an action to be taken with respect to online activity through one or more online user interface devices that are associated electronically with the first set-top box. The action can include (i) directing an online advertisement to one of the online user interface devices or (ii) causing recording that a select online activity, which was tracked from one of the online user interface devices, occurred subsequent to the selection of the television advertisements.

The method can further comprise receiving aggregate data pertaining to how many times a particular television advertisement in the set selected for the first set-top box was presented via any of a multitude of set-top boxes that includes the first set-top box. The aggregate data can further include the number of times the particular advertisement was presented in connection with an identified television program or television channel as well as time and date information related to presentation of the particular advertisement in connection with the identified television program or television channel.

The television advertisements can be selected based on profile information associated with a user of the first set-top box or associated with a user of one or more online user interface devices that are associated electronically with the first set-top box. The profile information can include information gathered offline or can include online profile information associated with one or more of the online user interface devices. The selection of the television advertisements can further include, for each of the identified television programs or television channels, identifying which user of one of the online user interface devices is most likely to watch that television program or television channel.

Objects and advantages pertaining to selection of television advertisements for presentation within television content via a set-top box following a set-top-box-originated request to deliver an advertisement, without knowing which television program or television channel is being presented on the requesting set-top box, may become apparent upon referring to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings and disclosed in the following description and/or claims.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates schematically an exemplary system for selecting television advertisements, without knowing what program or channel is being watched, for a set-top box that requests an advertisement.

FIG. 2 illustrates schematically another exemplary system for selecting television advertisements, without knowing what program or channel is being watched, for a set-top box that requests an advertisement.

FIG. 3 illustrates schematically another exemplary system for selecting television advertisements, without knowing what program or channel is being watched, for a set-top box that requests an advertisement.

FIG. 4 illustrates schematically another exemplary system for selecting television advertisements, without knowing what program or channel is being watched, for a set-top box that requests an advertisement.

FIG. 5 illustrates schematically another exemplary system for selecting television advertisements, without knowing what program or channel is being watched, for a set-top box that requests an advertisement.

FIG. 6 illustrates schematically another exemplary system for selecting television advertisements, without knowing what program or channel is being watched, for a set-top box that requests an advertisement.

The embodiments shown in the drawings are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure and/or appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Various systems for performing methods disclosed or claimed herein are illustrated schematically in FIGS. 1-6.

In some implementations (FIGS. 1 and 4), an unaffiliated third-party provider (ISP/TVP 22/24) of both television service and online access to the user facilitates direction of television advertisements to the STB 36 and electronically associates an STB identifier and an online user interface device identifier. Typically in such implementations, indicia of the STB identifier are neither received from the ISP/TVP 22/24 nor included in the online profile information.

In other implementations, the STB identifier and the online user interface device identifier are electronically associated by sharing a common IP address (or portion thereof), e.g., by being connected to a common LAN 300 through which each is provided with online access (FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 6; in FIGS. 2 and 5, both online access and television service are provided by ISP/TVP 22/24; in FIGS. 3 and 6, ISP 22 provides online access and TVP 24 provides television service).

In still other implementations, the STB identifier and the online user interface device identifier can be electronically associated in other suitable ways, including by an unaffiliated third party other than the TVP.

An electronic association between a STB identifier and an online user interface device identifier is sometimes referred to herein as an association between the devices themselves, i.e., between the STB and the online user interface device; such differing terminology can be used interchangeably, even though the underlying electronic association is between the respective identifiers.

An exemplary method for delivering selected television advertisements, that can be targeted based on profiles associated with an STB or with computers associated with the STB, without knowing the television program or television channel being watched on the STB can include the following.

An electronic request for a television advertisement is initiated automatically by an STB 36 used to present television content during a given time slot. The request is transmitted to an ad server 40 (directly or indirectly; represented schematically in the drawings by arrow 103, or by arrow 102 if the ad request is transmitted by the STB through a connection to LAN 300). The TV ad request that reaches the ad server does not include indicia specifically identifying the TV channel or TV program being presented via the STB at the time of the ad request (represented schematically in the drawings by truncated arrow 203).

In response, the ad server 40 checks for television programs within the time slot for which prearrangements exist for the ad server to deliver TV ads during those programs, in many cases including targeted TV ads. In a specific example and without loss of generality, assume the STB is used for watching television at 7 PM and there are five television programs available at that time for which prearrangements have been made for including TV ads.

The TV ads can be spatially juxtaposed with or overlaid on the television program (e.g., banner ads) or can be temporally interleaved with the television program (e.g., traditional 15-, 30-, or 60-second spot ads).

The STB 36 can be associated with an offline profile associated with the household or business receiving TV service with aid of the STB. For example, a TV service provider 24 can use a subscriber's PII to append an offline profile originating from offline database companies to the subscriber's profile. That offline profile can be associated with the STB.

Alternatively, or in addition, the STB can be associated with one or more online user interface devices 34 (e.g., computers or mobile devices such as smart phones), each of which has an associated online profile that is presumed to correspond to a user that is a member of the household in which the STB 36 is found. An online interface device may also be associated with an offline profile. The manner of those associations is described further below and in related patents and patent applications listed herein.

For each of the five TV programs, the ad server 40 (i) determines which of the household members is most likely to be watching that program based on the corresponding online profile (e.g., using methods disclosed in the applications listed herein) or determines which offline profile attribute or attributes from the offline profile associated with the STB is better to target with an ad within the TV program, and (ii) selects a corresponding TV ad targeting one or more profile attributes of that household member's online profile or targeting one or more attributes determined in step (i) from the offline profile associated with the STB. The selection of TV ads can be done in real time, in response to the STB request, or can be done ahead of time and stored in preparation for such a request.

The ad server delivers the targeted TV ads selected for all five programs to the STB (directly or indirectly; represented schematically in the drawings by arrow 102 or 104), on the assumption that one of those programs is the one being watched during the time slot.

In some implementations a computer program running on the STB 36 is responsible for originating the ad requests. That computer program, in some cases, can originate ad requests only within TV programs for which prearrangements have been made for the ad server to deliver targeted TV ads during those programs. If such is the case, in the example discussed just above, the ad server can infer that one of the five TV programs is being watched on the STB that requesting the advertisement, because an ad request would not have originated from that STB during that time slot unless the STB was displaying one of the five TV programs.

In one example, the computer program running on the STB 36 that is responsible for originating the ad requests constantly operates on the STB, regardless of the time of day and viewed TV program or TV channel, and operates to originate ad requests whenever there is an available ad slot within a TV program displayed using the STB. In another example, the computer program could be downloaded to the STB and runs only within TV programs within which prearrangements have been made for the ad server to deliver targeted TV ads during those programs. Of course, ad requests originating from the STB could be implemented in other ways as well.

Examples of offline profile attributes associated with the STB include the gender and age of different members of the household, the household annual income, the household geographical location, whether the household members live in a rented or owned apartment or house, and products and services acquired using household members' credit cards in the last three years. An example of a combination of offline profile attributes that the ad server might determine would be better targeted within a specific TV program is determining that a female 35 years old (where the gender and age are two of the offline attributes associated with the STB) would be better targeted within the TV program ‘Desperate Housewives’ (which might be one of the five programs) because the audience demographics for that program reveal that watchers tend to be predominately female.

In some exemplary implementations, the STB 36 can communicate directly with the ad server 40 (e.g., if a shared LAN architecture 300 is used in which the STB and household computers share an Internet connection, as in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 6; ad delivery represented schematically in those drawings by arrow 102). In that case, the STB receives all five targeted ads for each of the five television programs.

The STB can select, from among those five TV ads, the one that corresponds to the television program being watched at the time (assuming the program being watched is one of the five). The other four ads can be discarded, or they can be retained for later presentation, such as if the STB detects (within the given time slot, e.g., before the slot ends, such as at 7:30 PM or 8 PM) that the channel has been changed to one of the other programs.

In other exemplary implementations, the STB 36 communicates only indirectly with the ad server 40 (e.g., via ISP/TVP 22/24 or TVP 24 as in FIGS. 1-3, or via an intermediate “ad selection engine” server 400 under the control of an ISP/TVP 22/24 or a TVP 24, perhaps provided by a third party, as in FIGS. 4-6; ad delivery represented schematically in the drawings by arrow 104). A TVP server or an intermediate server receives the STB ad request that includes the TV program being watched on the STB, relays indicia of the ad request to the ad server (without revealing the TV program or channel being watched; represented schematically in the drawings by truncated arrow 203), receives from the ad server the five delivered TV ads, selects one of the received TV ads based on the television program being watched, and delivers that TV ad to the STB for presentation. Again, as explained above, the other four ads can be discarded or retained. The television ads can be delivered in this manner even if the STB has online access through LAN 300.

The ad server 40 can send either to the intermediary server 400 or to the STB 36 or to another computer (not shown) aware of the actual ad presented by the STB a frequency cap limiting the number of times any ad, or a particular ad, should be delivered to a STB, e.g., within a particular television program or within a given time window. For example, the ad server can specify that a car insurance ad from Company X should not be delivered to a specific STB more than three times in any 24-hour time window, regardless of which television programs are watched using that STB. The STB can track and store indicia or data identifying each delivered TV ad, or the “ad selection engine” server can track and store such indicia or data, to enable compliance with such a cap.

After one or more TV ads are delivered to the STB 36 and presented on a television 38, the STB can report to the ad server 40 which TV ads were delivered within which television programs. Regardless of the specific implementation or system architecture, that report typically is made to the ad server via an intermediary server. Such intermediate server can be the “ad selection engine” server 400 described above, an EBIF server that also fulfills the reporting function, or a separate, dedicated server. The intermediary server anonymizes or aggregates the data so that the ad server never learns which television programs or channels were watched on any specific STB identified by a STB identifier or by an online user interface device identifier associated with the specific STB.

Reports from the intermediary server can occur following each TV ad delivery or can be accumulated and reported in aggregate at any suitable or desirable time interval. The reported data enable proper charging or crediting of revenue based on presentation of particular TV ads during given TV programs.

If the STB 36 is capable of communicating the report directly to the ad server 40 without revealing any unique STB identifier or any online user interface device identifier associated with the STB, then such a direct report can be employed, and an intermediary server is not necessary. However, direct reporting typically would not be done if the STB communicates directly with the ad server through an IP address via a shared LAN 300, because the ad server could use the IP address to identify online user interface devices sharing the LAN with the STB and therefore link the viewing of a TV program or TV channel reported by the STB with online profiles of the online user interface devices sharing the LAN with the STB (and therefore associated with the STB). Even though online user interface devices 34 are typically not associated with PII, the association of reported TV viewing on a single STB with an online user interface device might create an impression of tying reported TV viewing on a single STB with an individual, which is considered unacceptable to many privacy advocates, in contrast to the reporting of aggregate number of TV ad views on many STB, which is considered acceptable. Data aggregation is described further below.

After causing the direction of the five selected TV ads to the STB 36, the ad server 40 can add or link indicia of that direction or the assumed viewing of those ads to one or more online profiles associated with the STB. The profiles can also be updated with indicia of the program or channel on which the TV ad selection was based or during/on which the TV ad is intended to be presented.

In one example, the ad server can add, to each profile, indicia of only a TV ad selected and delivered on the basis of that profile (e.g., if a TV car ad was directed based on profile of online user interface device #1 out of multiple profiles of online user interface devices associated with the STB, then only profile of online user interface device #1 is updated to reflect delivery of that TV car ad). Alternatively, all of the profiles of associated online user interface devices can be updated to include indicia of all five TV ads that were directed to the associated STB as well as an indicia of the specific TV program within which each TV ad was expected to be delivered. This is described in more detail below.

After one or more associated online profiles are updated with or linked to indicia of the delivered TV ads, subsequent online activity on devices associated with those profiles can be correlated with the presumed viewing of the TV ads. Instead or in addition, ads can be targeted to online user interface devices 34 (e.g., computers, game players, or mobile devices) associated with the online profiles based at least in part on the presumed viewing of the delivered TV ads. These are described in more detail below.

One advantage provided by updating all associated online profiles with indicia or data pertaining to all five delivered TV ads is the following: The actual television program watched on a specific STB 36 never is disclosed to the ad server 40 (represented schematically in the drawings by truncated arrow 203). Furthermore, even if the ad server could infer such information, it cannot know with certainty which household member actually viewed that program (or even that any household member was actually watching the TV when the TV ad was delivered).

By including in all associated online profiles indicia that a given selected TV ad was delivered, the effectiveness of that TV ad can be more accurately assessed by correlating subsequent online behavior to presumed viewing of each delivered TV ad, or online ads can more likely reach the intended targeted household member (while perhaps also reaching unintended targets).

In a specific example, perhaps a first household member viewed the selected TV ad but then asked a second household member to get further information online. By tracking and correlating online activity of both household members with the delivery of the selected TV ad, a more complete picture of the impact the TV ad had on the household's collective online, research, or purchasing behavior can be obtained.

The method disclosed above can be employed even if the selected, directed TV ads are broadcast advertisements generally shown to a category of (or all) viewers, as opposed to targeted ads based on specific profile information associated with the STB 36 or with an online user interface device 34 associated with the STB. For example, a suitable broadcast TV ad can be selected for each of the five TV programs in the 7 PM time slot, without referring to any associated online profiles. The remainder of the method (e.g., subsequent reporting, online profile updates, or correlating) can be performed as described whether the TV ads are targeted or not.

In one example of correlating subsequent online activity, a TV advertiser can be informed if an online visit is made, using a computer or mobile device 34 associated with the STB 36 to which the advertiser's TV ad was delivered previously, to the TV advertiser's online site. If that visit is made to the TV advertiser's online site, the TV advertiser can also be informed of the date and time of the online visit, information about the online activity of the visitor on the site, possibly whether the visit was made using a computer or a mobile phone, the display date and time of the TV ad that preceded the online visit and was delivered to the STB associated with the online user interface device, and the TV program or TV channel through which the ad was delivered. Even though the reporting company cannot tell the advertiser for sure that the channel/program was displayed using the STB, because the ad server is not told that information, if a visit is made to the online site shortly after direction to the STB of the five TV ads, one of which is the advertiser's specific ad, then it can be inferred that a household member watched the TV ad and that the ad had some impact.

In another example of correlating subsequent online activity, the online profiles need not be updated with indicia of the TV ad delivery. Instead, the ad server 40 can monitor all the computers or mobile devices 34 that visit the TV advertiser's online site. Of those, any devices having an online user interface identifier (e.g., a cookie) associated with the STB 36 the TV ad was directed to, is reported to the TV advertiser as used by someone likely to have seen the delivered TV ad.

In either of those cases, a report can be created for the advertiser that links the TV ads delivered to STBs, which can include: TV channels watched, TV programs watched, geographical locations of the STBs (extracted from STB IP addresses, from demographic online profile information, from associated computers or mobile devices, or from associated offline data received online, e.g., according to one or more of the patent or applications listed above), dates and times of the TV ad delivery and of subsequent online visits to the TV advertiser's online site from computers or mobile devices associated with the STBs, the type of device used for those online visits, the lengths of those visits, and the specific nature of the subsequent online activity during those visits.

Systems or methods disclosed above may be extended or integrated with systems or methods disclosed in:

-   -   U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 11/736,544 filed Apr.         17, 2007 (Pub. No. US 2008/0259906 A1);     -   U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 11/968,117 filed Dec.         31, 2007 (Pub. No. US 2009/0172728 A1);     -   U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 12/131,798 filed Jun.         2, 2008 (Pub. No. US 2009/0300675 A1);     -   U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 12/131,824 filed Jun.         2, 2008 (Pub. No. US 2009/0299843 A1);     -   U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 12/257,386 filed Oct.         23, 2008 (Pub. No. US 2009/0049468 A1);     -   U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 12/688,731 filed Jan.         15, 2010 (Pub. No. US 2010/0180013 A1);     -   U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 12/860,666 filed Aug.         20, 2010 (Pub. No. US 2010/0325659 A1); and     -   U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 12/906,007 filed Oct.         15, 2010 (not yet published).

Each of the above-listed applications and publications is incorporated by reference. Although the above-listed applications use similar terminology, there may be some differences between terminology used in those applications and that used in the present disclosure or claims. The definitions or descriptions set forth in the present disclosure shall apply herein if inconsistent with one of the other applications and publications identified in the preceding paragraph.

Some of the terms used in the present disclosure or appended claims are defined as follows.

Television provider (TVP)—an entity that provides television service to a subscriber or user via any suitable transmission medium, including but not limited to coaxial cable, fiber-optical cable, network cable, phone line, satellite transmission, cellular transmission, 3G transmission, 4G transmission, WiMax transmission, WiFi transmission, other IEEE 802 transmission, or VHF or UHF transmission.

Internet service provider (ISP; equivalently, an online access provider)—an entity that provides online access to a subscriber or user via any suitable transmission medium, including but not limited to coaxial cable, fiber-optical cable, network cable, phone line, satellite transmission, wireless transmission (e.g., 3G, 4G, WiMax, WiFi, or other IEEE 802 wireless protocols), or VHF or UHF transmission. The online access enables the subscriber to access the Internet and its myriad online sites, or to access any future network successor to the Internet.

ISP/TVP—in some instances a single entity (or providers controlled by a single entity) can provide to one or more subscribers or users both television service and online access. Such an entity is referred to herein as an ISP/TVP. Although an ISP and a TVP may be represented schematically in the drawings by separate labeled boxes, the drawings are intended to encompass implementations in which the ISP and the TVP are independent entities as well as other implementations in which a common ISP/TVP provides both services.

Set-top box (STB)—a device that connects a television and a signal source. As is recognized by those of skill in the art, a “television” is any device known in the art or developed hereafter that is capable of presenting television content to a viewer or user, e.g., a CRT or flat panel television set, a home theater system, a computer monitor, a tablet computing device, or a mobile phone or other handheld device. Some examples of STBs include cable boxes (often combined with personal video recorders), online-coupled gaming machines, appropriately configured computer systems that can drive a computer monitor, or modules of a mobile phone system allowing content presentation. The STB receives an incoming signal, extracts content from the received signal, and transmits the extracted content to the television to be presented to a viewer.

The signal source can be one or more of a computer network cable (e.g., an Ethernet or other transmission-speed cable), a satellite dish, a coaxial cable connected to a cable television system, a telephone line or digital subscriber line (DSL), a wireless network connection (e.g., via a cellular telephone network, WiFi, or other wireless connection), an antenna (VHF, UHF, digital, or other), or another suitable signal source. The content can include, but is not limited to, video (which often can include an audio portion), audio, Internet web pages, interactive games, or other content. An STB may or may not include a dedicated television tuner.

Each STB typically is assigned an identifier of some sort by the corresponding TVP, e.g., to enable the TVP to direct specific signals or programming to a specific STB, to identify the source of requests, commands, queries, or responses received from a particular STB, or for other purposes. In some instances such an STB identifier might be known only to the corresponding TVP and not available for outside communication. If the STB is connected to the Internet as a signal source (directly, through another device, or through the corresponding TVP; connected to the Internet only, or also connected in parallel to another signal source such as a cable television transmission infrastructure), the STB identifier can include an STB IP address (i.e., an Internet Protocol address) or a tag such as a cookie. If the STB is connected to both the Internet and another signal source, the STB identifier can include an identifier specific to the other signal source in addition to an STB IP address, tag, or cookie. In some instances the STB identifier is static, while in other instances (particularly those involving an STB IP address) the STB identifier is dynamic and can change from time to time. In examples wherein the STB identifier includes an IP address, network traffic can in some instances be directed to the set-top box via its IP address without the sender being aware that the IP address corresponds to a set-top box.

Despite its name, an STB need not be physically located on top of a television set literally. Under current technology, STBs often are located physically adjacent to the television set, such as in a media cabinet or the like, but it is not even necessary that the STB be located in proximity to the television. Nor is it necessary that the STB be a box, literally. Rather, a STB might be implemented, for example, as a circuit board, integrated circuit, set of integrated circuits, or software that is physically integrated with another “box,” such as the television, a cable or other connection, a computer, a mobile phone, or a building equipment or junction box, which also has other functions, or without being housed in any “box” at all.

Online user interface device—any user interface device used to access a remote network such as the Internet at least intermittently, including but not limited to a smart phone or mobile handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a game console, or a networked computer (desktop, workstation, notebook, laptop, or other).

Online access device—any device used to connect an online user interface device to a remote network such as the Internet, including but not limited to a modem, a wired or wireless router, a wireless access point, a wired network adapter (e.g., Ethernet adapter), a wireless network adapter (e.g., WiFi, other IEEE 802.11, WiMax, ED-VO, EDGE, HSPA, CDMA, GSM, or other), or an optical fiber based network adapter (e.g., a network interface unit or optical network terminal). Different types of online access devices can be and sometimes are combined into a single unit (e.g., a modem that also functions as a router for a LAN). An online user interface device and an online access device can be, and sometimes are, combined into a single unit (e.g., a computer with a built-in Ethernet adapter, wireless adapter, or modem, or a mobile phone that can be used for online access).

Each online access device typically is identified on the Internet by an Internet Protocol address (i.e., an IP address; currently, under IPv4, an IP address comprises a sequence of four numbers each ranging from 0 to 255, i.e., a 32-bit address; under IPv6, an IP address comprises a 128-bit address; other, future-developed IP address protocols shall fall within the scope of the present disclosure or appended claims). Every transmission of data over the Internet includes a destination IP address to enable the transmitted data to reach its intended destination. In some instances an online access device has a static IP address, while in other, more common instances an online access device has an IP address that is dynamic and changes from time to time. Although IP addresses are referred to herein for enabling data transmitted via the Internet to reach its intended destination, that terminology is intended to encompass any functionally equivalent online access device identifier employed to route such transmitted data to its intended destination through the Internet or through any future successor network.

Router—any device that acts as a junction between networks, to buffer and transfer data between or among them. For example, a router can be employed to connect a local area network (LAN) to the Internet, thereby enabling online user interface devices connected to the LAN to share a connection to the Internet through the router. The router receives data from devices on the LAN and transmits them to the Internet directed to their corresponding destinations, and receives data from the Internet and directs them to the corresponding devices on the LAN.

Modem—a device that enables online access by a user by acting as an interface between the online access provider's network transmission system and the user's computer or other online user interface device. Modems vary according to the type of provider network transmission system. Unless a specific type of modem is specified, the term “modem” shall encompass telephone modems, cable modems, DSL modems, wireless modems, satellite modems, or modems for providing online access to any other suitable network transmission system.

User (equivalently, subscriber, viewer)—the term “user” shall be construed as what is thought to be an individual person receiving online access or television service at a delivery end-point, which is typically located within a household, office, business, or other site or establishment served by an online access provider or TVP. A single household, office, business, or other location often has multiple users. In some instances, a business having multiple physical locations may be served by separate online or television services, but in other instances, a business may have an internal LAN or WAN that extends service provided to multiple physical locations. Also, some online user interface devices and televisions are portable, and can access the service from remote locations. Accordingly, the term “user” does not require a fixed or single location in such instances. Reference to a “user” in some contexts actually refers to computer-controlled activity (monitoring, advertisement delivery, etc.) done in connection with a device (e.g., television, phone, laptop, or fixed-location computer) thought to be operated by the individual person called the “user.” However, it is understood that a given device might be operated by multiple persons, such as different members of a household or business, at different times.

Behavioral targeting—the delivery of specific advertisements to a user, the advertisements being selected on the basis of activity of the user, typically recent activity, including but not limited to: online or television-based searches conducted by the user; content viewed or otherwise accessed by the user online or on television; online or television advertisements viewed, clicked on, interacted with, or otherwise accessed by the user; shopping or purchases made by the user online or through a television; and any other form of previous user online or television activity.

Central Ad Server (CAS)—a computer server that manages delivery of advertisements (television or online) to visitors of online sites or viewers of television programs. A local ad server can be typically run by a single publisher to serve ads to visitors of one or more websites or viewers of television programs of that publisher, or by a single advertiser to serve ads into ad space acquired by the advertiser on various websites or television programs. A third-party or remote ad server typically is remotely located and delivers advertisements of various advertisers to visitors of websites or viewers of programs of multiple publishers. The remote ad server acts as a central conduit for delivering advertisements, enabling advertisers and publishers to track the distribution of their online or television advertisements and to control the rotation and distribution of their advertisements across the Internet or television system from one location. Either a local or a remote ad server can be considered a CAS. The advertisements can be stored on the CAS for later delivery, can be transmitted to the CAS and then delivered from the CAS upon receiving an ad request, or can be delivered from another source in response to an ad request received and routed by the CAS. Examples of third-party ad servers include DoubleClick's DART for Publishers central ad server (also known as DFP) and DoubleClick's DART for Advertisers central ad server (also known as DFA). In some cases, a CAS can be owned or used by a TVP, an ISP, an STB provider or modem provider, an online content provider, a profile aggregator, a profile distributor, an ad broker, an ad network, an ad exchange, an ad agency, an online advertiser, a TV advertiser, a TV ad space owner, or a TV content provider, representatives or proxies of any of those entities, or other entities. In some instances that CAS will operate independently of an ISP or TVP.

Profile provider—An entity that has or collects profile information that is used to target advertisements. In the context here, the profile provider controls or cooperates with a CAS, which receives all or part of the profile information from the profile provider for use in targeting television or online advertisements. User profile information derived from online or television activity can include, for example, observed online behavior of a user accessing the Internet (e.g., online content viewed or accessed, online searches performed, online purchases made, or times and dates of such behavior), observed viewing or interaction behavior of a television viewer (e.g., television programs or ads viewed, responses to interactive programs or ads, or times and dates of such behavior), or demographic information collected from an Internet user or television viewer.

Examples of profile providers can include, but are not limited to, any entity that owns, controls, or uses: (1) a visited Internet site server; (2) a server delivering content, images, audio, video, text, or any combination directed to an online user interface device (such as a computer or other online interface device) via an online access device (such as a modem or router), either directly or indirectly (e.g., via a redirect); (3) a server delivering content, images, audio, video, text, or any combination directed to a television via a STB (indirectly via a TVP; or directly via an STB IP address, without necessarily being aware that the IP address in question corresponds to a STB); (4) a server delivering an ad to an online user interface device via an online access device on behalf of an advertiser or an ad network; (5) a server delivering a television ad to a television via a STB (indirectly via a TVP; or directly via an STB IP address, without necessarily being aware that the IP address in question corresponds to a STB) on behalf of an advertiser or an ad network; (6) a server recording an activity conducted from an online user interface device such as a click on an ad or a link to an ad, a viewing of an ad, a click on a link to particular content, a search, a request for product information, receipt of particular content, a product purchase, a telephone call made, or any other selected and definable user activity; or (7) a server facilitating instant messages or any other kind of communication on behalf of the user.

Another example of a profile provider is: (8) a company sponsoring and having access to a software program located on the user's computer or other online user interface device that can observe the user's online activity (with the user's permission), such as a browser toolbar or desktop search software. A profile provider, broadly, can be: (9) any entity able to collect behavioral profiles (e.g., observed online activity) or demographic profiles (provided by the user), typically including a device identifier (e.g., an online user interface device identifier) used when profile information was observed or collected and the date and time that profile information was observed or collected, regardless of whether or not the entity collected the profile information directly through contact with the user's computer or indirectly from another entity such as those listed in this definition. In some cases, a user's online activity will result in direct contact between the online user interface device (via an online access device) and the profile provider, e.g., if the profile provider is an online commerce site, the user makes a purchase at the site, and the online commerce site generates a profile for that user. In other instances there may be no direct contact between the profile provider and the user, e.g., if the user makes a purchase at an online commerce site that in turn reports information pertaining to the user to the profile provider. In some situations, also, a profile provider might also own or otherwise control a CAS, in which case user profiles can be immediately available to the CAS without need to transmit between entities.

Profiles or partial profiles provided by a profile provider to a CAS can contain any quantity of profile information, such as, in one example, just an online access IP address or STB IP address (not necessarily identified as such) used by a person at the time his profile was collected and the identity of the profile provider. The profile can include, e.g., a profile identifier or profile name, a username, or a login ID, or other online user interface device identifier; the profile can be referenced by or included in a cookie or tag placed on a user's online user interface device. The IP address can be provided by the profile provider itself or might be obtained by the CAS when a user engages in any online activity or provides an item of demographic information and is redirected by a profile provider to the CAS. In another example, a profile can be more extensive and can include demographic or online behavioral information, such as an extensive browsing history, shopping or purchase histories, content or programs viewed online, and other information concerning the user's characteristics or the user's activities. In some instances a profile includes PII (typically provided by the user); in other instances it does not. The profile need not be stored in a single location; profile information that collectively defines a single user profile can be stored in one or more databases on one or more servers, in tags or cookies placed on one or more user interfaces devices, or at a combination of those locations. Although the profile provider is an entity, many or most of the actions attributed to the profile provider are actually performed by equipment under the administrative control of the profile provider, such as computers, servers, software running on those computers or servers, network connection hardware or software, or other equipment. Such actions may still be characterized as being performed “by the profile provider,” whether performed automatically, semi-automatically, or manually.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)—information that can be used to identify a specific person, including but not limited to: name, Social Security number (SSN), date of birth, street address, email address, static IP address (if any), phone number (home, work, wireless), financial account numbers (bank accounts, credit accounts, or any other financial data), driver's license number, vehicle registration number, vehicle license number, facial photographs, fingerprints, handwriting or signature, or any other information that can assist in identifying a specific person.

Non-Personally-Identifiable Information (non-PII)—information about a person that typically cannot be used to specifically identify that person, including but not limited to: city, state, or country of residence, age, gender, race, ethnicity, school or workplace (if sufficiently large), salary or income, hobbies, dynamically assigned IP addresses, online sites visited, online searches conducted, or other information that is useful to know about a person but does not by itself allow one knowing the information to identify the particular person.

Cookie—a text file placed on a user's computer by any server that also serves content of any type to the user's computer using browser software. That content can include, for example, an entire web page, only a portion of a web page, one or more images, or even a single pixel; the user need not be aware of every server that delivers such content, and in many cases is not (e.g., if that server delivers only a single-pixel image). The cookie typically can be read or altered only by a server operating under the same Internet domain as the server that originally placed the cookie. The cookie file can be used to identify a computer that has already been in contact with the same domain (e.g., it can act as an online user interface device identifier) and can also be used to store PII or non-PII pertaining to a user of that computer. In a first example, a cookie can store non-PII such as previous searches conducted at the site, or pages viewed or visited at the site, by the computer user. In a second example, a cookie can be used to store a username used by the user to access a site, customized preferences of the user, or various pieces of PII. It should be noted that a cookie file can also be created, altered, or deleted by software located on the user's computer.

Television advertisement (TV ad)—a full screen video ad, a partial screen video ad, a banner ad, a text ad, an audio ad, or any other form of ad suitable for delivery to and visual or audible presentation by a television (as defined above) or other device for delivering television content. TV ads can be spatially juxtaposed with or overlaid on the television program (e.g., banner ads) or can be temporally interleaved with the television program (e.g., traditional 15-, 30-, or 60-second spot ads).

In cases in which an online advertisement is directed to an associated online user interface device 34 following delivery of a set of television advertisements intended for set-top box 36, that online advertisement can be selected based at least partly on the indicia derived from direction of the television advertisements, or based on both those indicia and the indicia derived from subsequent online activity. The online advertisement thus selected can be directed to an online user interface device 34 (not necessarily the same one used for the subsequent online activity) that is previously, concurrently, or subsequently indicated by or associated with the online user interface device identifier.

Indicia derived from the selected television advertisements, the subsequent online activity, or the selected online advertisement on the online user interface device can be included in the online electronic profile information of the user (e.g., by being linked in a database or by being stored in one or more cookies on one or more online user interface devices of the user). Depending on the specific implementation, the user online profile information or the electronic association of online user interface device identifier and the STB identifier may or may not include personally identifiable information.

However, in no implementation does the method include (i) receiving a report from the STB or the TVP of which television program or television channel was being watched using an indicated STB at the time of the direction of the television advertisements (represented schematically in the drawings by truncated arrow 203), (ii) receiving PII from the TVP (represented schematically in the drawings by truncated arrow 206), or (iii) transmitting online behavioral profile information to the TVP (represented schematically in the drawings by truncated arrow 204).

The set of television advertisements can be selected in any suitable or conventional way, including based on user offline or online profile information (i.e., targeted), geographical location of the STB, the likely audience watching a television program, or other criteria.

Many examples of selecting an advertisement based on the profile associated with a set-top box 36 or an online user interface device 34 are disclosed in various of the patent applications listed above. A few examples include: directing a car television advertisement based on visits to online auto sites; directing a sporting goods television advertisement based on online booking of a golf tee time; or directing an airline television advertisement based on searching for a remote travel destination on an online travel site. Myriad other examples can be imagined or performed and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

In one implementation, the following process is utilized to select the TV ad: First, as noted above, it is determined which television programs are likely being watched on STB 36 at the time STB 36 originates an advertisement request, such as by matching the date and time against a list of television program ad slots within which the company running the server is either responsible or allowed to deliver selected TV ads. Such presumed or probable matches (even though in part based on the timing of the ad request from or for STB 36) amount to inferences concerning what the user in question is watching and thus do not violate the condition that no information regarding a user's program or channel choices be received by the company running the server CAS 40.

A probable match can be made between the matching television programs and one or more online user interface devices 34 associated with STB 36, whereby it is assumed that a user who is associated with an online user interface device 34 is watching the television program that appears on the list. Examples of how a probable match is made between television programs possibly running on STB 36 at the time the advertisement request originated from STB 36 and online user interface devices 34 associated with STB 36 include: A probable match could be based at least in part on the nature of the programming, a user preference for a specific television program or channel that is indicated in the user's online profile (explicitly or inferentially), a match between demographic profile information in the user's online profile and a presumed demographic profile of a program's or channel's audience, or other information in the user's online profile. Examples are disclosed in one or more of the patent applications listed above, particularly application Ser. Nos. 12/131,798 or 12/131,824. Then, for each user believed connected to a user interface device 34, who is presumed to be watching a certain television program, at least one television advertisement can be selected based on the profile associated with online user interface device 34.

The user online profile information, online user interface device identifiers, or STB identifiers can be related or electronically associated for many or all of the users of a multitude of users before directing television or online ads to any of the multitude of users. Alternatively, the user profile information, online user interface device identifiers, or STB identifiers can be related or electronically associated for one or a few of a multitude of users at any given time as needed for directing television ads to the STB or ads to the online user interface device, with additional user profiles and identifiers related or electronically associated at later times for directing other television ads to the STB of additional users or ads to the online user interface devices of additional users. The relations or electronic associations can include one or more of (i) an earlier online user interface device identifier and a later STB identifier, (ii) an earlier STB identifier and a later online user interface device identifier, or (iii) contemporaneous online user interface device and STB identifiers. Such differing relations and associations can become necessary, e.g., as IP addresses are assigned and reassigned under DHCP, or as different online user interface devices are connected to or disconnected from a LAN.

The multitude of users can be any set made up of a large number of users and does not necessarily include every user having online access or television service through a particular ISP or TVP. For example, the system described can operate only with respect to a subset of users, such as those users who have capabilities needed to implement this system (e.g., suitable hardware, software, or operating system), those who have done some sort of subscription, or those selected based on criteria as to which operation of the system is considered desirable, less expensive to implement, or profitable. For example, those users might be chosen that have STBs with an operating system, software, or hardware capable of accepting TV ads from a CAS. In any event, the fact that other users may exist as to which the system does not operate is not intended to negate the advantages of the system as to those users for which the system does operate.

A user's online user interface device 34 (e.g., a computer or network-enabled cell phone) is connected in any suitable way to the Internet 10 (via an integral or separate online access device 32, e.g., a modem, router, or wireless adapter), usually through online access provided by an ISP 22. The user's television 38 is connected for receiving television service through a TVP 24 (via an integral or separate STB 36). The drawing and examples disclosed herein encompass implementations in which the ISP 22 and the TVP 24 are independent entities (FIGS. 3 and 6) as well as other implementations in which a common ISP/TVP 22/24 provides both services to a given user (FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5). In any of the disclosed implementations, an online access IP address is assigned to online access device 32 (e.g., a modem) in any suitable way by the ISP 22. At any given time, any data or content directed for online transmission to the online user interface device 34 is directed to or via the online access IP address assigned to modem 32 at that time. That IP address can be static, but it is more typically the case that the IP address is dynamic, and changes from time to time as each new online access IP address is assigned to the user's modem 32 (by DHCP or other suitable means).

The STB identifier can assume more varied forms, which can be employed alone or in any of various suitable or desirable combinations; in many instances, that STB identifier is known only to the TVP 24. In some television transmission systems, particularly those that employ set-top boxes with only limited functionality (and perhaps no networking functionality), each STB might be assigned an internal identifier (static or dynamic) operative only within the scope of the television transmission infrastructure of TVP 24, but without direct access to or from any outside server, network, or system (FIG. 1). TVP 24 mediates any exchanges of data or content between the STB 36 and any outside server or system (such as central ad server CAS 40, for example).

In some television transmission systems, STB 36 might be provided with Internet access via TVP 24 (FIGS. 1 and 4), in which case the STB 36 might be assigned an STB IP address (static or dynamic) by TVP 24 (and in some cases only the TVP 24 is aware that the STB IP address indicates a STB). In some television transmission systems, STB 36 might be provided with Internet access through its own modem (separate from modem 32 or other online access device; not shown) via an ISP 22 or TVP 24 (which would assign the corresponding STB IP address, statically or dynamically).

In some implementations, in addition to the connection between STB 36 and TVP 24, a separate connection between the user's modem 32 and the user's STB 36 (e.g., LAN 300 in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 6) can enable the STB 36 also to obtain online access via the same IP address as the user's online access (i.e., via modem 32). In that arrangement (such as an IPv4 based arrangement), only one IP address is “seen” by other servers or computers communicating via the Internet with the user's computer 34 or STB 36 via modem 32 or other online access device. In future embodiments, e.g., after future implementation of IPv6, the online access device 32, computer 34 or other online user interface device, or STB 36 can each have a uniquely assigned IP address (or analog thereof) directly accessible to other servers on the Internet. In such a scenario, the modem 32, the computer 34, and STB 36 typically would share the first 64 bits of a 128-bit address, thereby enabling an electronic association between them. Such future implementations are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

In any implementation in which the STB has an IP address, in addition to any direct transmissions between STB 36 and TVP 24, the STB can exchange data with or receive programming or content from another server or system (such as CAS 40) via the Internet without that other system or server necessarily being aware that the IP address indicates a STB.

In exemplary implementations of systems and methods according to the present disclosure, user online behavioral profile information is derived at least in part from earlier online activity performed using a user's computer 34 at the user's online access IP address through modem 32. When a user engages in online activity, e.g., accessing an online site, the online site can generate a user profile that can include, e.g., a profile identifier and the user's online access IP address that corresponds to the modem 32 at the time the online site is accessed.

In one example, the profile identifier can be transmitted to the user's computer 34, e.g., for storage as a tag or a cookie. In another example, the profile identifier can be a username, login name, or other suitable identifier associated with the user, any of which may or may not be stored on the user's computer 34 depending on the specific implementation. Any one or more among the profile identifier, username, login ID, cookie, online access IP address, and so forth can serve as an online access identifier, online user interface device identifier, or a portion thereof.

A portion of the user profile information derived from the user's online activity from the online access IP address, including the profile identifier, online user interface identifier, or online access identifier, can be delivered electronically to a central ad server (CAS) 40 (directly from the accessed site, via another profile provider, or via a redirect of the user's computer 34 to the CAS 40, with any of those alternatives being represented schematically in the drawing by arrow 102) and can be stored, e.g., in a profile log or database 42. Instead of or in addition to storage in database 42, the CAS 40 can place (102) one or more cookies or similar tags on the user's computer 34 to store the profile information, to act as a link to profile information in database 42, or act as an online user interface device identifier.

Targeted television advertisements can be selected by CAS 40 based at least in part on the delivered profile information.

Central ad server 40 can then cause the set of selected television advertisements to be directed to the user's STB 36 by TVP 24 (FIG. 1). The TVP 24 and the entity that controls CAS 40 (e.g., a profile provider) are unaffiliated, but cooperating, entities. An electronic transmission from CAS 40 to TVP 24 (represented schematically in the drawing by arrow 104) causes direction of the set of selected television advertisements to the user's STB 36 in response to a request for an advertisement from (or for) STB 36 (which ad request is represented schematically in the drawings by arrow 103).

The nature of the transmission 104 can vary considerably and can include, e.g., the online access IP address or other online user interface device identifier associated with profile information used to select one or more of the selected television advertisements, indicia identifying one or more of the selected television advertisements, indicia of one or more of the selected advertisements themselves, or indicia of a television program or time interval during which the advertisement is to be presented.

However, the transmission from the profile provider to the TVP 24 does not include indicia of any user's online behavioral profile information (obtained from either the user's computer 34 or from the database 42), to maintain segregation of that information from the user's PII (typically known by TVP 24); that segregation is represented schematically by the truncated arrow 204 in the drawings.

The set of targeted television advertisements can be directed by CAS 40 to the user's STB 36 via ISP 22 if modem 32 and STB 36 share the online access IP address (e.g., directed via link 102 and LAN 300 in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 6), or via TVP 24 using an associated STB identifier (e.g., via link 104 in FIGS. 1-6).

The association between the online access IP address (or other online user interface device identifier) for the earlier online activity and the STB identifier can be established in any suitable way, that may or may not include participation of TVP 24, including but not limited to those disclosed in one or more of the patent applications listed above, particularly application Ser. Nos. 11/736,544, 11/968,117, or 12/257,386. For example, an electronic association between the user's online user interface device identifier and STB identifier can be established by TVP 24 by, e.g.: use of PII or non-PII as needed, desired, or permitted, by a TVP or TVP/ISP; use of a common identifier or user pseudonym for a user's modem and STB by an ISP/TVP; use of a common online access IP address (or portion thereof) used by both modem 32 and STB 36 (IP addresses established according to IPv4, IPv6, or other future developed IP protocols); cooperation between ISP 22 and TVP 24 to associate the respective identifiers, with or without using PII.

In some examples, an online user interface device identifier in the form of a cookie or tag can be placed on the user's online user interface device 34 (e.g., computer 34). In some examples, cookies, tags, pseudonyms, or other identifiers can be updated as IP address are dynamically assigned or reassigned. In some examples, the electronic associations of identifiers can be stored in a log, history, or database (e.g., database 26 maintained by TVP 24, or database 42 maintained by CAS 40), and can be updated at any suitable regular or irregular time intervals; for purposes here, the term “database” shall be deemed to encompass such collections of data associating the specified identifiers, regardless of the format in which the information is kept or how it is connected or associated.

In some examples, the electronic association of identifiers can be performed in real time. In some examples, an electronic association of identifiers can be established or updated based on analysis of IP addresses, dates, and times of selected user actions (online or via the television), with or without using additional or auxiliary identifiers or confirming data.

In all of those examples, the ad server 40 receives from TVP 24 the ad request but no information identifying the television program or channel in which the television advertisement was directed for a specific identified STB, nor the user's PII (e.g., from a TVP database 26; represented by the truncated arrow 206 in the drawings), and TVP 24 receives from the profile provider no online behavioral profile information pertaining to the user (represented by the truncated arrow 204 in the drawings), thereby ensuring that the user's PII and television-viewing history or habits (possibly known by TVP 24) remains segregated from the user's online behavioral profile information (known by the profile provider).

Once requested (by STB 36, TVP 24, CAS 40, or another online entity) or otherwise determined to be desired, the delivery of the set of targeted television advertisement to the user's STB 36 or to intermediary server 400 can be achieved in a variety of ways. The advertisements can be pre-stored on CAS 40 and transmitted from CAS 40 to the server 400 or to the user's STB, with the assistance of TVP 24 (represented by arrow 104 in FIGS. 1-6), or without the assistance of TVP 24 (represented by arrow 102 and LAN 300 in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 6). The advertisements can be pre-stored on CAS 40 by virtue of it having been transmitted (i) from an accessed online site, (ii) from another online site, (iii) from another ad server, ad network, rep firm, ad exchange, ad agency, or advertiser, or (iv) from another entity. Alternatively, the targeted television advertisements can be transmitted directly to the server 400 or to the user's STB 36 from a server or ad server operated or used by (i) a visited online site, (ii) a profile provider other than the one operating the CAS, (iii) another online site not visited by the online user interface device, (iv) ad network, (v) rep firm, (vi) ad exchange, (vii) ad agency, (viii) advertiser, or (ix) another entity, without the pre-storing step onto CAS 40. In another case, the server 400 or the user's STB 36 can be instructed by CAS 40 to retrieve the advertisements directly from any of the above entities (i)-(ix), using for example the URL given to the CAS 40 by respective entity.

In any of the alternatives, the television advertisements need not be transmitted directly to STB 36 or server 400; instead they can be transmitted through one or more intermediate servers (i.e., CAS 40, a server hosted by an ISP, a TVP, a cable company, or a telecommunications company, for example).

The television advertisements can be streamed or otherwise delivered for real-time viewing, or they can be delivered to the user's STB 36 or an associated digital video recorder (DVR) for later viewing. In any of those cases, the ad source, i.e., any of the above entities (i)-(ix), can presume that its corresponding advertisement was directed to STB 36, but typically cannot presume that it has been viewed, as described herein.

The CAS 40, a profile provider, or any of the above entities (i) to (ix) typically receive no notification as to whether their respective television advertisements have been presented via an identified STB. Even if an explicit notification that a specific advertisement was presented during a specific program lacks PII identifying a specific subscriber, users or government regulators still might be uncomfortable with TVP 24 sending notifications that identify the viewing of a specific television program or channel using an identified STB, or TVP 24 still might be concerned that such notifications might appear to, or actually, violate user privacy policies or regulations.

As compared to a notification-based implementation, a “no notification” implementation provides many of the same advantages and benefits, without raising such privacy concerns. Of course, the “no notification” implementation has the drawback that the television advertisement may not have been presented after all, which might, for example, skew the accuracy of any subsequent online tracking data or waste online advertising opportunities on the wrong follow-on advertisements.

After the television advertisement is directed to the set-top box 36, when the user again accesses one or more online sites or conducts other online activity through modem 32 (arrow 102 in the drawing), the profile identifier can be transmitted to one or more of those sites or to CAS 40, to a profile provider, or to any of the above entities (i)-(ix) (e.g., by reading the cookie or tag stored by computer 34, or by receiving a username, login name, or other suitable online user interface device identifier or online access identifier). As a result, one of those accessed sites, CAS 40, a profile provider, or any of the above entities (i)-(ix), or a server operated or used by any of them, or another server controlled by another party can continue (or begin) to track and record the user's online activities via modem 32, i.e., can begin or continue to store, e.g., on the user's computer 34 or in a profile database, information pertaining to the online activity on the online user interface device 34 after presumed viewing of the television advertisement.

The current online access IP address for modem 32 may or may not be the same as that used to when earlier online profile information was tracked and recorded, but it can nevertheless be associated with earlier online profile information in any suitable or conventional way, including those disclosed in one or more of the patent applications listed above. One of those accessed sites, CAS 40, a profile provider, or any of the above entities (i)-(ix), or a server operated or used by any of them, or another server controlled by another party, can correlate the subsequently collected online profile information with the presumed viewing by the user of one of the selected television advertisements. That correlation can in turn be used for a variety of purposes, as described below.

In one example, the correlation can be used to gauge the effectiveness of the television advertisement, for driving later online sales or merely driving traffic to an online site. For example, an observed increase in the likelihood of a user purchasing online airline tickets from a specific airline, or merely visiting the airline's online site, can be correlated with the user having previously been presumed to have viewed a television advertisement for that airline. The effectiveness of differing television advertisements, or combinations or sequences of advertisements, can be compared by comparing subsequent online behavior of viewers presumed to have seen the respective ads. The correlation can consider online activity during a predefined or selected time period, such as one hour, one day, or 14 days after the presumed viewing of the television advertisement, or another predefined or custom-specified time period.

The company doing the correlation cannot tell an advertiser for sure that a particular channel/program, or a particular TV ad within a channel/program, was displayed using an identified STB, because CAS 40 (or other entities outside the TVP) is not told that information. Nevertheless, if a visit is made to an advertiser's online site (or some other defined site) shortly after direction to the STB of an advertiser's specific ad, then it can be inferred that a household member watched the TV ad and that the ad had some impact.

In some implementations, it might be desired to track not only a single computer but also other online devices 34 associated with the same user or other members of a household or on a common LAN. Suppose, for example, activity on a wife's computer triggered selection of a particular television advertisement. Or suppose that presentation of the television advertisement on the STB was linked only to an online profile of the wife's computer, as opposed to also linked to a profile derived from online activity through a mobile device such as a cell phone of the wife. As an alternative or in addition, it might be desired to track a husband's computer or a cell phone device (of either husband and wife), the wife's computer, and even possibly online user interface devices of other household members, to track the effect of the television advertisement on other household members who might have seen the television advertisement also, or who might have heard about the advertiser's product or service from other household members who viewed the television advertisement and as a consequence were interested in the advertiser's product (good or service), even though the television advertisement was not selected to be targeted to that person, i.e., was not based on that person's profile information.

For illustration, suppose the wife had searched for a new minivan online, and that search caused presentation of a minivan advertisement on a STB in that household, but further suppose that the wife had been performing the search following a discussion with her husband. Further suppose that, after seeing the minivan television advertisement, the husband uses his computer to visit a minivan manufacturer's website to learn more about the product, schedule a test drive, buy the van, or otherwise act in a way indicating interest in the advertised product. In such an illustration, tracking other devices associated with the same household and noticing correlations within a specific time period after delivery of the television advertisement would better detect advertisement effectiveness and facilitate more robust reporting to the television advertiser.

Instead of, or in addition to, the tracking, recording, and correlating of subsequent online activity (i.e., receiving and storing on the user's device 34 or in database 42 electronic indicia derived from online activity of the user) that is enabled by the electronic association of an STB identifier with an online user interface device identifier (using methods disclosed in one or more of the patent applications listed above and described only briefly herein), that electronic association can allow an advertiser to transmit one or more selected (i.e., targeted) online advertisements to the user's computer 34 via modem 32 (arrow 102), as a follow-up to the user's presumed viewing of the selected television advertisement.

The selected online advertisement can be targeted based on any suitable or desirable criteria, including presumed viewing of the TV ad or other online user profile information (collected based on activity before or after the TV ad is directed to the STB 36).

Such presentation of targeted online advertising via an online user interface device as a follow-up to television advertising can be employed to increase the effectiveness of combined online and television advertising over that of either advertising medium alone. That effectiveness is not substantially diminished by the segregation of the user's online behavioral information (known to the profile provider) from the user's PII (known to the TVP).

The targeted online advertisement delivered to the online user interface device can be selected based on the nature of the television advertisement viewed (or presumed viewed), and optionally also on user online profile information, in any suitable or conventional way. By way of analogy with examples given above for selecting a targeted TV ad, a few examples of targeted online ad selection can include: directing an online car ad based on viewing a television car ad; directing an online ad for a golf course after viewing a television ad for golf equipment; or directing an online airline ad based on viewing a television ad for a remote travel destination. Myriad other examples can be imagined or implemented and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Additional targeting criteria can be employed to direct targeted ads to online user interface devices or to track and record online behavior from online user interface devices, based on information concerning a TV ad delivered (or presumed delivered) to the associated STB. Examples of such targeting criteria are disclosed in one or more of the applications cited above and can be similar to criteria for targeting the TV ad.

Even when the online user interface device (or group of devices sharing a network address) is determined, in some instances that device can be used by multiple users. In such instances, online ads can also be targeted to the online user interface device, or online activity of the user interface device tracked, based on information concerning the TV ad directed to the associated STB, but further taking into consideration the particular online activity on the online user interface device at a given time (e.g., type of online content viewed or online searches performed). For example, an online ad for an alcoholic beverage might be suitable for presentation on an online sporting news site, but not at the Disney site. Suitable online sites of content on which to show a targeted online ad can therefore be selected at least in part on the nature of the online site or content, the nature of the online ad, or user online profile information. Similarly, in any of the implementations including delivery of online ads, the user's computer 34 or other online user interface device can be configured to filter the targeted advertisements delivered thereto, based on selected user preference or other suitable criterion. Examples are disclosed in one or more of the applications cited above.

The profile provider (e.g., the proprietor of CAS 40 or an accessed online site) or another online entity (that uses or benefits from use of the profile information) can send an electronic communication to CAS 40, preferably automatically, such as by having the profile provider's server pre-programmed to send such electronic communication or by having the profile provider's server redirect the online user interface device along with the electronic communication, which electronic communication contains information useful to CAS 40 in (i) tracking of online behavior from the online user interface device 34 (or storing on the user's device 34 or in the database 42 of online profile information pertaining to that activity) and correlating of that behavior with the viewed TV ad, or (ii) causing a selected online ad to be transferred to the online user interface device 34 at the proper time.

The electronic communication can take a variety of forms, and can include, but is not limited to, one or more of: (1) an indicator of information about the user (likely not PII), such as profile information (e.g., online sites, site sections, or pages visited; online searches or online activity conducted) or a code or keyword to access that information in a database, online access identifiers, online user interface device identifiers, IP addresses, times and dates of online site visits or TV ads viewed (or presumed viewed), (2) an indicator describing user activity (previous online or television ads viewed or presumed viewed) or user interests, or (3) an indicator of which online ad should be transmitted, such as a URL or ad title given by the profile provider to retrieve the correct online ad from a corresponding ad server, or the actual online ad itself. The electronic communication can be sent following every contact with an online user interface device or for each instance of a user's presumed viewing of a television advertisement, or a list can be created and transmitted at suitable intervals containing information about a number of viewed TV ads. In some instances, the electronic communication can be delivered before the corresponding TV ad is delivered, with the instructions in the communication to be executed after presumed viewing of the TV ad.

Whatever the manner of the electronic association between the user's STB identifier and online user interface device identifier, that association can in some instances be maintained even if the online user interface device 34 is a mobile device (e.g., an Internet-enabled cell phone, handset, PDA, or laptop computer) that is intermittently disconnected from modem 32 and is connected to the Internet through another connection (e.g., another LAN, a wireless hotspot, or a cell phone network). Examples are disclosed in one or more of the applications cited above, and several are given below.

Once the association is established, profile information (both behavioral and demographic) collected about a mobile device such as a cell phone (before or after the association was established) can be used to target television ads to the associated STB, regardless of the IP address used by the mobile device to access the Internet at the time the profile data were collected. Similarly, once the association is established, profile information collected about the mobile device (before or after the association was established) can be correlated with the presumed viewing of the television advertisement, or a follow-on advertisement can be directed to the mobile device, regardless of the IP address used by the mobile device.

For example, consider a common scenario where a laptop computer, used both at home and in the office, is used at home using a home IP address and a corresponding cookie or tag is placed on it by a CAS to act as an online user interface device identifier. The CAS can collect and store in a database online profile information that can include the home IP address or identity of an ISP/TVP that provides the home online access. The next day, the laptop is taken to work, where it is used for online access and at some point is redirected to the CAS. The CAS, reading its own cookie that was placed on the laptop, requests that the corresponding ISP/TVP direct a targeted TV ad to the user's STB. The TV ad can be targeted based on the user's current online behavior (e.g., while at work) or based on the user's previous online behavior (e.g., while at home). The ISP/TVP directs the ad without passing back to the CAS any PII of the user. In the evening, when the laptop user returns home and turns on the TV, the user will see the targeted TV ad, even if the user left the laptop at work that day. After the TV ad is shown, the user's subsequent online activity (whether at work or at home) can be tracked and corresponding profile information stored in a database or correlated with the viewed TV ad for evaluation purposes, or online ads related to the TV ad can be presented on the laptop (at work or at home).

In any of the implementations including delivery of targeted online ads or targeted television ads, the ads can be provided by a wide variety of sources or entities, and revenues can be generated and distributed in a wide variety of ways. Examples are disclosed in one or more of the applications cited above. In various examples, a profile provider can be compensated for enabling targeting of a television advertisement (based on online profile information) as well as targeting an online advertisement (based on actual or presumed viewing of the television ad). In another implementation, a profile provider could be compensated for providing information that is used in measuring the effectiveness of television advertisements.

For example, if following the presumed viewing of a Nissan Murano (an SUV) TV ad on a STB, an associated online user interface device is used to research the Nissan Murano on cars.com (a car review site), if cars.com redirects all visitor computers that read reviews of the Nissan Murano on cars.com to the CAS, then as a consequence of the redirect, the CAS can recognize the visit from the online interface device associated with the STB where the Nissan Murano television advertisement was presumed viewed. Such information can be very valuable for the advertiser. The advertiser or an advertiser representative (such as an ad agency), or an entity providing the advertiser with the service of measuring the effectiveness of the advertiser's TV ads as reflected by follow-up online behavior, could compensate cars.com for redirecting to the CAS those computers that visit cars.com's Nissan Murano review section.

The TV ads directed to STBs at the request of a profile provider can come from a variety of sources. Likewise, online ads directed to online user interface devices can come from a variety of sources. In one example, a given profile provider can request that the CAS direct an advertisement to the user's STB or online user interface device from (or on behalf of) the profile provider itself (if, for example, the profile provider is an online advertiser site interested in delivering TV ads to people that visited its online site) or from another entity that sells ad space to advertisers, some of whom may desire to present ads to the profile provider site's presumed audience. In that example, the proprietor of the CAS, as the facilitator of the targeted ad delivery, can receive a payment from the profile provider. The CAS proprietor can keep a share of revenue as a commission and pay the TVP for the ad space (except in the case where the CAS proprietor owns the ad space). The TVP can either retain the entire amount paid by the CAS proprietor, if the TVP owns the TV ad space within which the TV ad was delivered, or the TVP can pay some or all of the amount paid by the CAS proprietor to another entity such as a TV broadcasting network, if the TVP does not own the ad space.

In another example, the CAS can pay the TVP for electronically associating the online user interface device and STB, pay a television ad space seller for the TV ad space, and pay an online site (or profile aggregator) for the use of its profile data in targeting the TV ad (unless the online site sold the TV ad or requested its delivery).

In still another example, the CAS can record which entity is entitled to what payments, and payments are made directly from the television ad space seller or television advertiser to the various entitled entities, based on the CAS's records.

In an example wherein the STB is provided by a third party other than the TVP (such as a service provider like Tivo), the STB provider can arrange with content owners (such as a TV broadcasting network) to have the service provider's STBs replace broadcasted TV ads with targeted TV ads, where a targeted TV ad is available, and the service provider and the TV broadcasting network can share the revenue with the CAS proprietor as discussed above. In some cases, the CAS can be owned by a TVP, an ISP, an STB provider, an online site, an advertiser, an advertising agency, an advertiser representative, an online ad space seller, a TV ad space owner, or a TV content provider, in which case the payments will be divided in accordance to the respective roles. In general, a payment from a TV advertiser is used to pay the TV ad space owner and the entities facilitating the delivery of the targeted TV ad.

In another example, the online site or other profile provider can request that a television ad be directed to the user's STB from another advertiser of its own choosing to whom the online site has sold an amount of television advertising space, or that an online ad be directed to the user's online user interface device from another advertiser of its own choosing to whom the profile provider has sold an amount of online advertising space. In that example the profile provider or online site can collect a revenue amount from the site-chosen advertiser while paying the CAS, ISP, TVP, ISP/TVP, or ad space owner(s) in return for assisting to facilitate delivery of the ad(s) provided by the site-chosen advertiser.

In another example, the profile provider provides a profile to the CAS in return for a payment triggered (1) every time the provided profile (whether including behavioral or demographic data) is used to deliver a TV ad, (2) when a TV ad that has been delivered using the provided profile generates revenues, (3) every time the provided profile (whether including behavioral or demographic data) is used to deliver an online ad, (4) when an online ad that has been delivered using the provided profile generates revenues, or (5) simply on account of delivery of the profile without regard to whether, how often, or how effectively it is used.

The TV or online advertisement itself can be sold by the CAS, ISP, TVP, ISP/TVP, STB provider, TV ad space owner, or any third party such as a re-seller or a firm that represents ad space owners or profile providers and sells to advertisers. In that example the profile provider can collect a revenue amount from any of the entities benefiting from the delivery of the TV or online ad based on the profile provided by the profile provider, including the ad space owner, STB provider, CAS, ISP, TVP, ISP/TVP, or a third party selling the targeted ad space. The profile provider, re-seller, or the other advertisers can also pay a revenue amount to the CAS, ISP, TVP, or ISP/TVP in return for directing the ad to the STB.

The systems and methods disclosed herein can be used to generate revenue in a variety of ways for various of the involved entities, not limited to the examples given here, that fall within the scope of the present disclosure or appended claims. The terms “pay,” “collect,” “receive,” and so forth, when referring to revenue amounts, can denote actual exchanges of funds or can denote credits or debits to electronic accounts, possibly including automatic payment implemented with computer tracking and storing of information in one or more computer-accessible database. The terms can apply whether the payments are characterized as commissions, royalties, referral fees, holdbacks, overrides, purchase-resales, or any other compensation arrangements giving net results of split advertising revenues as stated above.

Payment can occur manually or automatically, either immediately, such as through micro-payment transfers, periodically, such as daily, weekly, or monthly, or upon accumulation of payments from multiple events totaling above a threshold amount. The systems and methods disclosed herein can be implemented with any suitable accounting modules or subsystems for tracking such payments or receipts of funds.

The methods disclosed here are typically performed using software of any suitable type running on one or more computers, one or more of which are connected to the Internet. The software can be self-contained on a single computer, duplicated on multiple computers, or distributed with differing portions or modules on different computers. The software can be executed by one or more servers, or the software (or a portion thereof) can be executed by an online access device used by the electronic visitor (e.g., a desktop or portable computer; a wireless handset, “smart phone,” or other wireless device; a personal digital assistant (PDA) or other handheld device; a television or STB). Software running on the visitor's online access device can include, e.g., Java™ client software or so-called adware. A method for providing collected profiles can include downloading such software to an electronic visitor's online access device to perform there one or more of the methods disclosed herein.

The profile information described can be included as a portion of the tags or cookies placed on a visitor's device, or the tags or cookies can merely include an identifier associated with the visitor's profile that is stored elsewhere (e.g., in a database on a profile owner server, profile supplier server, or media property server). The profile information need not be stored in a single location or under the control of a single entity, nor does control or use of the profile information need to be performed at a single location or under control of a single entity.

The systems and methods disclosed herein can be implemented as general or special purpose computers or servers or other programmable hardware devices programmed through software, or as hardware or equipment “programmed” through hard wiring, or a combination of the two. A “computer” (e.g., a “server” or an online access device) can comprise a single machine or processor or can comprise multiple interacting machines or processors (located at a single location or at multiple locations remote from one another).

A computer-readable medium can be encoded with a computer program, so that execution of that program by one or more computers causes the one or more computers to perform one or more of the methods disclosed herein. Suitable media can include temporary or permanent storage or replaceable media, such as network-based or Internet-based or otherwise distributed storage of software modules that operate together, RAM, ROM, CD ROM, CD-R, CD-R/W, DVD ROM, DVD±R, DVD±R/W, hard drives, thumb drives, flash memory, optical media, magnetic media, semiconductor media, or any future storage alternatives. Such media can also be used for databases recording the information described above.

It is intended that equivalents of the disclosed exemplary embodiments and methods shall fall within the scope of this disclosure or appended claims. It is intended that the disclosed exemplary embodiments and methods, and equivalents thereof, may be modified while remaining within the scope of this disclosure or appended claims.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features may be grouped together in several exemplary embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that any claimed embodiment requires more features than are expressly recited in the corresponding claim. Rather, as the appended claims reflect, inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a single disclosed exemplary embodiment. Thus, the appended claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate disclosed embodiment. However, the present disclosure shall also be construed as implicitly disclosing any embodiment having any suitable combination of disclosed or claimed features (i.e., combinations of features that are not incompatible or mutually exclusive) that appear in the present disclosure or the appended claims, including those combinations of features that may not be explicitly disclosed herein. It should be further noted that the scope of the appended claims do not necessarily encompass the whole of the subject matter disclosed herein.

For purposes of the present disclosure and appended claims, the conjunction “or” is to be construed inclusively (e.g., “a dog or a cat” would be interpreted as “a dog, or a cat, or both”; e.g., “a dog, a cat, or a mouse” would be interpreted as “a dog, or a cat, or a mouse, or any two, or all three”), unless: (i) it is explicitly stated otherwise, e.g., by use of “either . . . or,” “only one of,” or similar language; or (ii) two or more of the listed alternatives are mutually exclusive within the particular context, in which case “or” would encompass only those combinations involving non-mutually-exclusive alternatives. For purposes of the present disclosure or appended claims, the words “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and variants thereof, wherever they appear, shall be construed as open ended terminology, with the same meaning as if the phrase “at least” were appended after each instance thereof.

In the appended claims, if the provisions of 35 USC §112 ¶ 6 are desired to be invoked in an apparatus claim, then the word “means” will appear in that apparatus claim. If those provisions are desired to be invoked in a method claim, the words “a step for” will appear in that method claim. Conversely, if the words “means” or “a step for” do not appear in a claim, then the provisions of 35 USC §112 ¶ 6 are not intended to be invoked for that claim.

The Abstract is provided as required as an aid to those searching for specific subject matter within the patent literature. However, the Abstract is not intended to imply that any elements, features, or limitations recited therein are necessarily encompassed by any particular claim. The scope of subject matter encompassed by each claim shall be determined by the recitation of only that claim. 

1. A method comprising: (a) with a programmed hardware computer system, in response to receipt of first electronic data indicating selected advertisements are desired for a first set-top box, automatically: (i) using second electronic data identifying certain television programs or television channels that permit or desire selected advertisements, which television programs or television channels are available for viewing in a time slot during which the first electronic data was received, selecting a first set containing a plurality of television advertisements, each advertisement corresponding to one of the identified television programs or television channels; and (ii) making available to a device the first set of selected television advertisements, wherein the device has access to third electronic data indicating which of the television programs or television channels is currently being presented via the first set-top box, so that at least one of the selected television advertisements can be presented via the first set-top box while the corresponding television program or television channel is being presented; (b) wherein the computer system selects and makes available the first set of television advertisements without access to the third electronic data.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the device of part (ii) is the first set-top box.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the device of part (ii) is a server controlled by a television service provider that provides television content to the first set-top box.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the device of part (ii) is a server that receives the third electronic data from a television service provider that provides television content to the first set-top box, and in response causes the at least one of the selected television advertisements of part (i) to be presented via the first set-top box.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer system is not controlled by a television service provider that provides television content to the first set-top box.
 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising, using the computer system, automatically causing, based on electronic indicia identifying the television advertisements selected in part (i), an action to be taken with respect to online activity through one or more online user interface devices that are associated electronically with the first set-top box.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the action includes directing an online advertisement to one of the online user interface devices.
 8. The method of claim 6 wherein the action includes causing recording that a select online activity occurred subsequent to the selection in part (i), which online activity was tracked from one of the online user interface devices.
 9. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the first electronic data from the device of part (ii).
 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, at the computer system, aggregate data pertaining to how many times a particular television advertisement was presented via any of a multitude of set-top boxes, wherein the first set-top box is one of the multitude and wherein the particular television advertisement is one of the set of television advertisements selected in part (i) and also selected in sets of advertisements that are selected in response to receipt of electronic indicia of selected advertisements being desired for set-top boxes of the multitude other than the first set-top box.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the aggregate data further includes the number of times the particular advertisement was presented in connection with an identified television program or television channel as well as time and date information related to presentation of the particular advertisement in connection with the identified television program or television channel.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein the television advertisements of the first set are selected at least in part based on profile information gathered offline that is associated with a user of the first set-top box or associated with a user of one or more online user interface devices that are associated electronically with the first set-top box.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein the television advertisements of the first set are selected at least in part based on profile information associated with the first set-top box or associated with one or more online user interface devices that are associated electronically with the first set-top box.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the selection of television advertisements of the first set includes, for each of the identified television programs or television channels, identifying which user of one of the online user interface devices is most likely to watch that television program or television channel.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the selection of television advertisements of the first set further includes, for each identified user, selecting the corresponding television advertisement based at least in part on profile information associated with that user's online user interface device.
 16. The method of claim 14 wherein, for one or more of the identified television programs or channels, the user identification is based at least in part on profile information associated with the identified user's online user interface device, which profile information indicates that the television channel or television program was previously viewed via the online user interface device.
 17. The method of claim 14 wherein, for at least one of the identified television programs or television channels, the user identification is based at least in part on a correlation between demographic profile information associated with the identified user's online user interface device and a demographic profile of an audience of the at least one of the identified television programs or television channels.
 18. The method of claim 14 wherein, for one or more of the identified television programs or television channels, the user identification is based at least in part on a correlation between profile information associated with the identified user's online user interface device and content of the television channel or television program.
 19. A machine comprising a hardware computer system structured and programmed to perform a method comprising: automatically, in response to receipt of first electronic data indicating selected advertisements are desired for a first set-top box: (a) using second electronic data identifying certain television programs or television channels that permit or desire selected advertisements, which television programs or television channels are available for viewing in a time slot during which the first electronic data was received, selecting a first set containing a plurality of television advertisements, each advertisement corresponding to one of the identified television programs or television channels; and (b) making available to a device the first set of selected television advertisements, wherein the device has access to third electronic data indicating which of the television programs or television channels is currently being presented via the first set-top box, so that at least one of the selected television advertisements can be presented via the first set-top box while the corresponding television program or television channel is being presented; wherein the computer system is programmed to select and make available the first set of television advertisements without access to the third electronic data.
 20. The machine of claim 19 wherein the computer system is not controlled by a television service provider that provides television content to the first set-top box.
 21. The machine of claim 19 wherein the method further comprises automatically causing, based on electronic indicia identifying the television advertisements selected in part (i), an action to be taken with respect to online activity through one or more online user interface devices that are associated electronically with the first set-top box.
 22. The machine of claim 19 wherein the method further comprises receiving the first electronic data from the device of part (ii).
 23. The machine of claim 19 wherein the method further comprises receiving, at the computer system, aggregate data pertaining to how many times a particular television advertisement was presented via any of a multitude of set-top boxes, wherein the first set-top box is one of the multitude and wherein the particular television advertisement is one of the set of television advertisements selected in part (i) and also selected in sets of advertisements that are selected in response to receipt of electronic indicia of selected advertisements being desired for set-top boxes of the multitude other than the first set-top box.
 24. The machine of claim 19 wherein the computer system is further programmed to select the television advertisements of the first set at least in part based on profile information gathered offline that is associated with a user of the first set-top box or associated with a user of one or more online user interface devices that are associated electronically with the first set-top box.
 25. The machine of claim 19 wherein the computer system is further programmed to select the television advertisements of the first set at least in part based on profile information associated with the first set-top box or associated with one or more online user interface devices that are associated electronically with the first set-top box.
 26. A tangible, non-transitory data storage medium comprising indicia of instructions for a programmed hardware computer system to perform a method comprising: automatically, in response to receipt of first electronic data indicating selected advertisements are desired for a first set-top box: (a) using second electronic data identifying certain television programs or television channels that permit or desire selected advertisements, which television programs or television channels are available for viewing in a time slot during which the first electronic data was received, selecting a first set containing a plurality of television advertisements, each advertisement corresponding to one of the identified television programs or television channels; and (b) making available to a device the first set of selected television advertisements, wherein the device has access to third electronic data indicating which of the television programs or television channels is currently being presented via the first set-top box, so that at least one of the selected television advertisements can be presented via the first set-top box while the corresponding television program or television channel is being presented; wherein the computer system is programmed to select and make available the first set of television advertisements without access to the third electronic data.
 27. The storage medium of claim 26 wherein the computer system is not controlled by a television service provider that provides television content to the first set-top box.
 28. The storage medium of claim 26 wherein the method further comprises automatically causing, based on electronic indicia identifying the television advertisements selected in part (i), an action to be taken with respect to online activity through one or more online user interface devices that are associated electronically with the first set-top box.
 29. The storage medium of claim 26 wherein the method further comprises receiving the first electronic data from the device of part (ii).
 30. The storage medium of claim 26 wherein the method further comprises receiving, at the computer system, aggregate data pertaining to how many times a particular television advertisement was presented via any of a multitude of set-top boxes, wherein the first set-top box is one of the multitude and wherein the particular television advertisement is one of the set of television advertisements selected in part (i) and also selected in sets of advertisements that are selected in response to receipt of electronic indicia of selected advertisements being desired for set-top boxes of the multitude other than the first set-top box.
 31. The storage medium of claim 26 further comprising indicia of instructions for the computer system to select the television advertisements of the first set at least in part based on profile information gathered offline that is associated with a user of the first set-top box or associated with a user of one or more online user interface devices that are associated electronically with the first set-top box.
 32. The storage medium of claim 26 further comprising indicia of instructions for the computer system to select the television advertisements of the first set at least in part based on profile information associated with the first set-top box or associated with one or more online user interface devices that are associated electronically with the first set-top box. 